If I Can
by Ethereal Wishes
Summary: This is my take on how that scene between Belle and Rumplestiltskin should have ended in 4x16.


**If I Can**

**A/AN: My heart is literally in pieces after that Rumbelle scene tonight, so I decided to write a oneshot to soothe me based on tonight's scene. I hope it soothes you as well.**

He watched as Maleficent's temporary sleeping curse washed over the town, an idea coming to his mind. He separated himself from the group, leaving Cruella and Maleficent to track down Henry. He took a deep breath as his hand touched the familiar brass knob on his shop door. A wave of nostalgia hit him as he recounted the times he'd opened that door to be met by her beautiful face. He realized today that wouldn't be happening. She wouldn't even realize he'd been there.

He found her passed out beside the counter. He hoisted her intro his arms, relishing the feeling of holding his beautiful wife. He placed her on the bed and sighed thoughtfully, brushing ringlets of curl from her eyes.

His heart was heavy as he prepared his speech, one she may never hear. "My love I need to tell you this while it still matters. My magic comes at a cost as you know, and I have racked up so much debt I can never be clear of it, unless I find a way to change the rules. But now here's the hard truth, something else is changing, so I'm going to have to change the rules. I must do so quickly, and I will come back to you if I can." he revealed, placing his hand over his heart. He placed a chaste kiss on the back of her hand, savoring her sweet flesh on his lips.

Being cursed and wielding magic yielded a higher price than he first thought. His curse demanded his soul as payment which he didn't fully submit to and the magic was demanding his heart. The only way he could be rid of both was if his curse was broken. He stared at the woman lying peacefully on the couch and sighed. He stared at her ruby red lips, beckoning him. He couldn't resist being near her after so many weeks apart. He was like a man wandering in the dessert, and she was his oasis. One tiny drop would subdue him as he leaned in, brushing his lips softly against his.

He wasn't prepared for her eyes to flutter open. She stared at him full of complete shock, "Rumple is that you?" she asked in disbelief, scooting away from him. He noticed the fear flash in her eyes and it made his heart wrench for her to look at him like some kind of monster, but he couldn't blame her. That's what he was after all.

"Yes it's me. I had to come see you one last time just in case...It's no matter." he stopped himself before revealing the truth to her, turning away. He made was about to make his exit when he felt her grasping his hand tightly.

"Rumple...What are hiding from me?" she demanded, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. He swallowed back the bile in his throat as he formulated an answer.

"I'm dying Belle...My curse is ebbing away at my soul, and my magic is slowly crushing my heart. My curse as well as my magic are both demanding a price and it's one I cannot pay unless I can get the author to change my fate." he sighed looking towards the bare streets of Storybrooke.

"Maybe there's another way to change your fate Rumple." she spoke so softly that he barely heard her. He turned to look at her, averting his gaze quickly. He didn't deserve to look at her after all he'd done.

She touched his face gently, and he shuddered at the intimate gesture. The feeling of her hand on his face made him realize how starved he truly was for human affection.

"And what would that be?" he asked daringly, almost afraid of her answer.

"True loves kiss of course but it won't work unless you're willing to let go of all the power. You have to let go of it completely if you wish to be free." she spoke wisely, and he nodded.

"I want to do it, but I'm afraid." he confessed in a trembling voice. Guilt seized her heart as she remembered the night she'd banished him. She thought she was able to move on with Will but seeing Rumple put everything in perspective for her. She still loved him and her promises of never giving up on him arrested her memory.

"You have no reason to believe me after what I've done to you but if you'll allow me to break your curse, then I'll never leave your side." she swore, and he gazed at her with soulful brown eyes, cutting to the very recesses of her heart.

"What about the knave?" he asked, bitterness laced in his voice.

"He was a mistake. You're my true love Rumple. You have no reason to believe me, but I do still love you. I've tried to make it go away, but I've realized that I'll never stop loving you. It's impossible." she confessed making his heart skip a beat.

"The only way I can allow myself to let go of the power is if I know you'll be here for me after it's gone. I will be fully mortal after this transformation with no way to protect myself. I'll always have someone after my blood." he replied, and she took his hand and placed it over her heart.

"Then we will go somewhere where you'll be safe." she promised.

"And where will we go?" he inquired, giving her an assessing glance.

"We'll leave town and start a new life somewhere far away from here.." she supplied, and he smiled faintly, recounting the time when he wanted to take her on an extended honeymoon full of all the wrong motivations.

"Break my curse Belle." he affirmed before he had any second thoughts, and she closed the distance between them, enveloping themselves in a desperate kiss that was long overdue. There was magic in the motion, an inevitability born of something stronger than the both of them. They were terrified yet relieved but most of all, they were in love. He didn't care about reverting back to the weak spinner he once was because the prize was finally in his possession. Power whooshed out of him, rattling the shop windows. Belle clung to him tentatively as a golden light surrounded them. True loves kiss was working.

"I love you." he declared as he felt the magic being pulled from him. He stumbled forward, his torn ligament weighing down on him, a distinct reminder of his mortality. She helped him to the couch. He lied down, and she joined him. He wrapped his arms around her, relishing the feeling of holding her after so many sleepless nights.

"Is it over?" she inquired, and closed his eyes, trying to conjure a simple spell but nothing happened.

"If you mean 'can I use magic?', then no it's over, but I've never felt freer. I realized all those weeks I spent away from you that all I ever truly wanted was to be with you." he confessed through tear dimmed eyes. She pulled him in for another kiss. This time there was no magic in the motion, just her soft lips against his, giving him the answers without any need for spoken words.

Everyone was too busy chasing the author to notice the brown Cadillac that drove over the town line to never be heard from again.

**A/AN: I'm not really sure if I'm satisfied how this story played out, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. **


End file.
